Segmented ring gear

Abstract

A floor machine with a segmented ring gear may include a motor operably connected to a planetary driver. The planetary driver may include two or more planet gears engaging a ring gear that at least partially surrounds the planetary driver. The motor may generate rotational motion of the planet gears about a first axis, and the ring gear may cause counterrotation of the planet gears about a second axis. The ring gear may be provided in the form of two or more ring gear segments configured to be detachably coupled together. Thus, in the event that the ring gear is damaged, worn, or malfunctioning, only the affected ring gear segments may be repaired or replaced as opposed to replacing the entire ring gear. In this way, the segmented ring gear may reduce manufacturing costs, repair cost, down time, and/or provide other benefits.

1 . A floor machine, comprising:
 a handle;   a chassis connected to the handle;   a motor supported by the chassis;   a planetary driver connected to the motor including two or more planet gears; and   a ring gear assembly including a ring gear positioned within a shroud,   wherein the ring gear includes two or more ring gear segments.   
     
     
         2 . The floor machine of  claim 1 , further comprising an angle adjuster configured to alter an angle of the handle relative to the chassis. 
     
     
         3 . The floor machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a cord holder configured to retain a power cord of the floor machine. 
     
     
         4 . The floor machine of  claim 1 , wherein the motor is mounted substantially above the chassis and the planetary driver is mounted substantially below the chassis. 
     
     
         5 . The floor machine of  claim 1 , wherein the planetary driver is at least partially positioned within the shroud. 
     
     
         6 . The floor machine of  claim 1 , wherein the planetary driver further comprises:
 a clutch;   a drive plate connected to the clutch; and   two or more heads coupled to the two or more planet gears.   
     
     
         7 . The floor machine of  claim 6 , wherein the planetary driver comprises four planet gears and four heads. 
     
     
         8 . A floor machine, comprising:
 a chassis supporting a handle and a motor;   a ring gear assembly coupled to the chassis; and   a planetary driver in communication with the ring gear assembly, the planetary driver further comprising:
 a clutch; 
 a drive plate connected to the clutch; 
 two or more planet gears positioned around a circumference of the drive plate; and 
 two or more heads coupled to the two or more planet gears. 
   
     
     
         9 . The floor machine of  claim 8 , wherein the ring gear assembly further comprises:
 a ring gear; and   a shroud detachably coupled to the ring gear.   
     
     
         10 . The floor machine of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the shroud comprises a plurality of first holes,   the ring gear comprises a plurality of second holes, and   a plurality of fasteners extend through one of the plurality of first holes and an associated one of the plurality of second holes to couple the shroud and the ring gear together.   
     
     
         11 . The floor machine of  claim 9 , wherein the ring gear comprises two or more ring gear segments configured to be detachably coupled together to form the ring gear. 
     
     
         12 . The floor machine of  claim 11 , wherein:
 each of the two or more ring gear segments comprises a stud and a connection hole, and   the stud is designed to be received by the connection hole of an adjacent ring gear segment in a press fit, a snap fit, or a friction fit.   
     
     
         13 . The floor machine of  claim 11 , wherein the ring gear comprises four ring gear segments, each of the four ring gear segments spanning an arc of 90 degrees. 
     
     
         14 . The floor machine of  claim 9 , wherein the shroud at least partially encompasses the planetary driver. 
     
     
         15 . A floor machine, comprising:
 a chassis supporting a handle and a motor;   a ring gear assembly coupled to the chassis, the ring gear assembly further comprising:
 a ring gear comprising two or more ring gear segments; and 
 a shroud detachably coupled to the ring gear; and 
   a planetary driver operably coupled to the motor, the planetary driver configured to act upon a flooring surface via two or more heads.   
     
     
         16 . The floor machine of  claim 15 , wherein the ring gear comprises four ring gear segments, each of the four ring gear segments spanning an arc of 90 degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The floor machine of  claim 15 , wherein each of the two or more ring gear segments includes a stud and a connection hole, the connection hole designed to receive the stud of an adjacent ring gear segment in a press fit, a snap fit, or a friction fit. 
     
     
         18 . The floor machine of  claim 15 , wherein the planetary driver further comprises:
 a clutch;   a drive plate connected to the clutch;   one or more planet gears positioned around a circumference of the drive plate; and   one or more heads coupled to the one or more planet gears.   
     
     
         19 . The floor machine of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the motor causes the drive plate to generate rotational motion in a first rotational direction of the one or more planet gears about a primary rotational axis, and   the ring gear causes the one or more planet gears to counterrotate in a second rotational direction about a secondary rotational axis.   
     
     
         20 . The floor machine of  claim 15 , wherein the shroud at least partially encompasses the planetary driver and is designed to shield the planetary driver from collisions and to contain debris produced by operation of the floor machine.